[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 159 (Friday, October 13, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S15143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                                 prayer

  The Chaplain, Dr. Lloyd John Ogilvie, offered the following prayer:
  Lord God, we thank You for the energy-releasing power of Your spirit. 
Life's challenges and difficulties often excavate trenches in our 
hearts. These can be riverbeds for the flow of discouragement or of 
joy. In this time of prayer we ask that Your joy overflow the banks of 
our hearts.
  Nehemiah expressed this assurance in the arduous time of the 
rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. ``The joy of the Lord is your 
strength,'' he said. Only You could give the people what they needed to 
persist and endure. The same is true for us in our work today. We do 
not always find joy in our work: Sometimes it is demanding and 
exasperating. But we can bring Your joy to our work, a joy that lasts, 
a joy that bursts forth from Your love, forgiveness, and hope. Thank 
You for the creative thought and energy that Your divine joy triggers 
in our minds and our bodies.
  This is the day You have made. We will rejoice and be glad in You, 
for Your joy is our strength. In our blessed Lord's name. Amen.

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